Lionel Messi's father stated that "his son, who played his last match with Paris Saint-Germain earlier this week, is open to a return to Barcelona, the reigning champions of La Liga." Barcelona let the team's magician go in 2021 due to his high salary amidst the financial constraints imposed by the Spanish Football League.
Messi, who joined Barcelona's youth academy at the age of 13 and became the club's all-time leading scorer, with 672 goals in 778 matches across all competitions, moved to Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer for two years. Since Messi's departure, Barcelona's financial situation has improved, but according to the Spanish league, the club still exceeds its salary cap and cannot register new player contracts, such as those of defender Ronald Araújo and midfielder Gabi, signed several months ago.
Barcelona president Joan Laporta has frequently expressed his desire for Messi's return to Camp Nou, but signing the 35-year-old player could complicate the team's situation due to financial fair play rules. Jorge Messi, in an interview with the (Jijantes) channel on Twitch, said: "Leo wants to return to Barcelona, and I also hope he returns. We believe Leo can come back." Messi, who led Argentina to win the World Cup in Qatar and has won the Ballon d'Or seven times, secured two Ligue 1 titles in the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 seasons, along with the French Super Cup in July 2022 with Paris Saint-Germain.
